Cardinals Second-Half Schedule Spells Trouble For Postseason Aspirations

The St. Louis Cardinals are doing everything they can to stay in the playoff race as the halfway point of 2025 approaches with the All-Star Game on July 15.

Although the Cardinals are rebuilding after missing the postseason the two previous years, St. Louis sits 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central and 1 1/2 games out of an NL Wild Card spot.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals have an uphill battle to fight after this year's All-Star break -- one that could be too burdensome for the 11-time World Series champions to overcome.

"St. Louis Cardinals (3.8% worse): Their second half begins with a six-game road trip to Chase Field and Coors Field, but after that, they get almost no breaks on the hitting side the rest of the way," ESPN's Tristain H. Cockcroft wrote Wednesday morning after suggesting that the Cardinals second-half schedule for 2025 is the second-most difficult for hitters behind the New York Mets. "The Cardinals, like the Mets, also play a large volume of their games in pitchers' parks -- and the largest once that initial road trip is done."

It's worth noting that the Cardinals are 49-43 and have a similar standing in the playoff race at they did this time (July 9) last year, when they held a 48-42 record and sat four games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and commanded a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL Wild Card contest.

Fortunately, St. Louis' offense is much improved this season -- ranking 11th in runs scored (418), batting average (.252), hits (784) and 14th in OPS (.716).

However, the Cardinals' offense, which began 2025 as one of the league's hottest, has dipped in production as the season progresses.

Considering that St. Louis is poised to frequent more pitcher-friendly parks after the All-Star break, it's safe to say the offense needs to rediscover its spark. Otherwise, the Cardinals could be headed for a third consecutive season of missing the playoffs.